EZRA, JEDCO and all Privately Owned Foriegn Investment Companies are a Threat to the Sovereignity of South Sudan and the Lives of its People.
Opinion:
If people talk about this country being mortgaged to foreigners in the name of investors, then they are easily branded as critics of the government but who would deny that the current actions by Ezra and Jedco with regard to electricity crisis are a true manifestation of foriegn investment companies growing horns and threatening the sovereign government with shutting power supply if it did not give them hard currency at a subsided rates.
This is not to forget that the companies blatantly violated their contracts with private clients who are not privy to their contract with the government but they nonetheless went ahead and shed everyone off as if the contract they signed with the government meant everyone was getting power free of charge (Advocates should rush to courts and correct this blunder by the companies).
The companies have succeeded in their threats as the whole Juba is now blacked out and the two cmpanies thinks it must be business as usual, no, some of us will not take this threats to our soveriegnity and violation of our rights lying down, the government and all the citizens must response to these companies in the following ways:
1. The President through the Ministry of Dams and Electricity convenes an emergency Council of Ministers meeting and resolve there and then that the contracts between the two companies (Ezra and Jedco) and the government be immediately terminated and the Ministry of Justice instructed to revoke their licenses with all their subsidiaries;
2. That all the private clients who bought electricity vouchers from the companies sue them immediately for uniliteral breach of the contract and without sufficient notice to the clients to terminate the contracts – all damages must be paid to the affected clients before these companies winds up and leaves South Sudan;
3. All the foriegn Directors of Ezra/Jedco and all their foriegn staff to leave South Sudan within 24 hours and never step foot here again;
4. National security to take over all the companies installations until further notice;
5. No further negotiation on this matter.
For any legal consequences against these resolutions if the government so issue them, I and many other patriotic South Sudanese Lawyers will be on standby to take up this legal battle with anyone who want to compromise our sovereignity and violates our peoples’ rights in conniviance with these unscrupulous companies.
This is too much. I hope the President and his cabinet will see this as a threat not only to their existence and the government but an absolute threat on the National Security and Soveriegnity of this country and as such, it is their sole obligation and responsibility to act promptly else, this is the worse insult we could ever sustain as an Independent Soveriegn State.
Opinion by
Adv. Juma Mabor Marial
Juba, South Sudan.